May 21st, 2012

Indian mascots will soon be no more in Oregon.
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(Rick Bowmer / The Associated Press)

The Oregon State Board of Education recently passed a new rule aimed at eradicating Native American-themed mascots, names, and imagery from all state-funded high schools, and did so in emphatic fashion … with a 5-1 vote.

As Ryon Kost of The Oregonian reports, the adopted policy states that schools must rid themselves of Native American mascots by 2017, or they put themselves at risk to lose state funding.

And as one would expect for such a hot-button topic, reaction has been mixed.

“I’m overwhelmed, but I’m holding back on my emotions — I have a meeting to finish,” said board Chairwoman Brenda Frank, a member of the Klamath Tribes. “It’s been a long time coming.”